Phantoms
by Of Wrath and Angels
Summary: Delilah Laurel, a young teenage girl with a knack for finding odd friends, wanders upon a cairn. Seventy years later, Delilah Laurel can run through walls and confuse Millard Nullings. But, now with a possible future ahead, they finally might begin to make sense of each other.


There was nothing more that Delilah hated doing more than doing things she didn't want to do. So, there she was, September 1st 1940, with her two siblings. The two boys were grubby and rough from the city life, which Delilah couldn't enjoy more. Wartorn, roughed up London was where she ran gleefully amuck.

"Bloody Welsh sailors are always late," Joseph swore, arms folded and Delilah and Gabriel snickered at his impatience.

"You've never met any bloomin' Welsh sailors, how would you know?" Gabe nudged Joe.

"London timing, dearest twin, London timing," Joseph replied with a tip of his invisible cap. His slicked and flattened unruly curls were a result of Mr Smith attempting to make Joe look a little more presentable. If his looks impressed you, his mouth sure wouldn't. Gabriel was nearly the exact same, except a little smarter than the impulsive and instinctive Joseph.

"I think it's gonna rain, I really wish they'd hurry up," Lilah sighed, pulling her wide-rimmed hat over her curls.

"It's England, Liley, it's always gonna rain when you're waiting," Gabriel said, tugging the rim of her hat over her eyes and making her smack his hand, "That's what we're good for. Queuing in the rain, complaining about queuing in the rain and then forgetting to bring a brolly every time."

"Absolutely right, Gabe," Joseph and Gabe bumped shoulders.

"Oi, shut it, you two! There's some horses!" Delilah stood on her tiptoes, barely reaching her brothers shoulders.

"I don't believe it," Gabe said in exaggerated surprise as him and his twin peered through the fog to see the horses Lilah had squeaked about.

"Actually, maybe I just saw you twos reflections in the puddle," Delilah snickered to herself. The twins flicked her hat at the same time.

"Little brat," Joe tugged one of her curls and folded his arms.

Standing on the side of the road wasn't ideal in the murky fog of the coastal Welsh weather. Their current caretaker, Mr William Smith, had punished the three for getting into mudfights with the kids of the village. It was surprisingly viscious fun, all of the evacuees against the village kids.

So, they were being sent off to the small island of Cairnholm to help with the cleanup of the rubble. It had been blitzed by a bunch of nasty Jerries a week or so ago, and a few buildings were damaged. They wanted some help getting all the rubble into tips and away from the roads.

Joseph inhaled, spitting on the ground, "Even mum's cooking would be faster than this."

"Agreed," Gabe and Lilah said in unison.

Lilah's arms tightened in their fold when Joe mentioned her mother. Her mother was back home, in still dangerous London, whereas their father was off fighting in the war. She missed and worried about both of her parents - all three of them did. So they coped with their homesickness by doing traditional London street things.

"The war'll be over by the time this bloke is gonna arrive," Gabe remarked and the other two hummed in agreement.

"I reckon the war'll never end," Joseph said, "Bloomin' Germany won't stop fighting everyone and England won't stop going to war with Germany. The Americans will just make it even larger."

"You know, that's the first smart thing that's come out of your ruddy mouth in a long while, brother dearest," Delilah smiled up at him.

"My fist'll be in your mouth if you don't quite the talking back, Liley. You're worse than Gabe and his teachers," Joseph snorted and Lilah giggled.

"Your fist'll go straight through my mouth and I'll continue yapping, Joe," Delilah said with a slight smirk.

"Shut your mouth, Delilah. We don't want no one hearing about your thing," Gabriel hushed her with a furrowed brow and slight glare. Lilah locked her hands together, staring at her newly polished shoes.

"There's no one bloody here to hear us, Gabe," and it all went full circle.

Delilah sighed. She stared at the fog that lingered at the beginning of the cobble road. She blinked, thinking she saw shapes in the mist. No! There couldn't be someone, who was near half an hour late, picking us up!

The sound of horseshoes hitting the cobble made the three Laurel children thank God. It appeared from the gloomy weather, the carriage near black from the wood rotting and the horses looking old, yet so powerful. Maybe it was because Delilah was fifteen and still five foot four inches unlike her near six foot brothers, and the horses were only a little shorter than her brothers.

The man, thin lipped and crow eyed, stepped outside of the carriage. He said his thanks to the person who holding the reigns, before turning his attention to the three Laurels.

"Sorry for the wait, old Ness was playing up," he patted the chestnut head of 'Old Ness, "You three must be Joseph, Gabriel and Delilah, correct?" The man said, pointing at each.

"I'm Gabriel," Joseph said, fingers crossed behind his back.

"I'm Joseph," Gabriel said, fingers also crossed behind his back. Delilah nearly laughed.

"I'm Harrison, but most call me Harry," the Welsh accent made Lilah's nose twitch in a near snicker, "We'll take the little boat since the sea ain't as choppy today."

"Sure thing, Mr Harrison," they all chorused. The usual routine. Act peachy, act polite, get a good report back and everytime they got in trouble people would be more likely to side with them.

"Let's get going, Cairnholm's a ruddy place to be once the sun sets on foggy days," Harry trudged down towards the shore, and the three followed him down the winding path that descended near the cliffs.

"Where are you kids from?" Harry asked. Delilah felt a single drop of rain on her cheek and nearly swore in contempt.

"London like all the others," Gabriel answered and the dark, grainy sand came closer to view as they came down a particularly steep part of the slope.

"My ma came from London. No bloody idea why she moved until my neighbours lot came in talking about the fact they didn't 'ave to share rooms or showers," Harry said and the three nodded.

"That's true, sir. It makes you a little more grateful, especially having to share with those two," Lilah jerked her head at Joseph and Gabriel who were beginning to start a game of Slapsticks.

"Two twin boys, why I never," Harry chuckled, "My only son's gone to fight and I got grey hairs from his time at school."

"Ain't no one going to school in London these days," Joseph shook his heads, "School was called off because there were no teachers."

"You kids need education," Harrison replied as they reached the end of the path, trudging onto the sand to get to the small stone docks, "Don't do what I did and drop out to work on some farm."

"We won't," Gabriel said with a small smile. His black curls moved with the sea breeze, still not as unruly as Joseph's.

"Say, there are a few kids on Cairnholm that get homeschooled," Harrison shook his head, "Never though much of homeschoolin'."

"I suppose it's alright, but you'll never make the amount of friends you would if you were at school," Delilah said, thinking of her group of London girls. All different ages and sizes but they were thick as thieves they were.

"My missus is always going on about her friends. She must've befriended the whole world to have that many friends called Brenda," Harry brought them to a small boat, that could comfortably fit about five. It looked safe, if not a bit too close to the water.

It had a small motor, which Harry patted and swiped the dust off, "This old things gets me past all the U-boats."

"There are U-boats here?" Gabe echoed and Harrison nodded.

"A fair few, people said more have been appearing recently," the old man untied the boat, hands running over the reinforcements and the metal, "This war's a muddle."

"Certainly is," Joseph nodded.

After a few minutes of fuss, Gabe and Joe helped Delilah into the boat, following in as Harrison went at the back. He started the motor, which made Lilah jump. They went forwards, her delicate hands gripping the edge of the boat. She hated being so close to the sea, and especially when they were in a boat all alone with no others heading out around them.

Cairnholm, here she came.


End file.
